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Rainier Missile wins Emerald Downs Sunday feature | Horse Racing

The lightning quick 4-year-old gelding sprinted clear early and held off Showme Yourfiends late for a half-length victory in the $14,100 feature race for 3-year-olds and up.

Ridden by Juan Gutierrez, Rainier Missile ran six furlongs in a brisk 1:08.62 and paid $5.20, $2.40 and $2.10. Dave Bennett is the trainer for Rainier Missile Syndicate.

For Gutierrez, it was his second win of the day and he’s now in sole possession of second-place all-time with 888 wins at Emerald Downs.

Rainier Missile set fractions of :22.34, :44.89 and :56.46 en route to his first win in four starts this year. Overall, the Kentucky-bred by Golden Missile is 5-6-3 in 22 career starts with earnings of $62,218.

Showme Yourfriends, bidding for her second straight win over Rainier Missile, was gaining ground on the winner late but settled for second place and paid $2.60 and $2.10. The runner-up also was claimed in a two-way shake by trainer Tim McCanna for owner Ray McCanna, becoming the second $20,000 claim of the weekend at Emerald Downs.

Frenzo was 5-½ lengths back in third place and paid $2.20. Avalon Beach finished fourth; Ugottabcatty was scratched earlier in the day.

Bennett wound up with the late daily double as the veteran mare Fantasyville ($5.20) led all the way to score in the nightcap.

NOTES: Trainer Blaine Wright continued on his hot streak with a one-two finish in the eighth race, as John & Janene Maryanski’s Rocky’s Quest ($7.40) held off Nelson Family Racing’s Rezar for the victory in 1:03.72 for 5-½ furlongs*In the second race, all wagers on English Ace were refunded after the stewards determined the 3-year-old filly didn’t get a fair start from the gate*Cresent McGain scored the biggest upset of the meet with a $52.60 surprise in the sixth race with Leonel Camacho-Flores riding. The 4-year-old You and I filly is trained by H.R. Pat Mullens and co-owned by Mullens and Ed Zenker*First-time starter Demonaire ($9.40) prevailed in the fourth race under Leslie Mawing to become the eighth winner out of 1990 Washington Stallion Stakes winner Sendie’s Value. Owned by Horseplayers Racing Club 077, Warlock Stable and Renee Shadel, Demonaire is trained by Robert Meeking, who also bred the filly at Allaire Farms in Poulsbo*Gutierrez, Mawing and Eliska Kubinova rode two winners each on the 10-race card* Camacho-Flores has 12 wins and leads a tightly bunched jockeys’ race. Kubinova and Joe Crispin are tied for second with 11 wins apiece, and Gutierrez, Debbie Hoonan and William Antongeorgi all have 10 wins each*Howard Belvoir leads the trainers with nine wins including a triumph by Bartab in the Sunday opener*The Frank Lucarelli-trained Stormy Lucy ($8.20), who made her career debut at Emerald Downs last fall, powered to a convincing victory under Russell Baze for owner Frank Gaunt in Sunday’s $75,000 Golden Poppy on the turf at Golden Gate Fields*Taylor Said ($6) romped in Sunday’s $50,000 John Longden 6000 for older horses at Hastings Racecourse. Ridden by Fernando Perez for trainer Troy Taylor, the 4-year-old B.C.-bred ran 6-½ furlongs in 1:15.77*Washington-bred mare Sun City ($4.60) scored her 16th career victory Sunday on closing day at Turf Paradise. The 8-year-old mare is owned and trained by Joe Toye, whose string of 30 runners will arrive from Phoenix later this week*Bennett also had a winner Sunday at Turf Paradise: Harley Hart ($5.60) in the eighth race*Live racing resumes Friday with first post 6 p.m.

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